J. Michael Straczynski Launches New Media Company Studio JMS

Writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski is launching a new media company named Studio JMS. The new company will focus on several mediums, including comic books, the Internet, TV, feature films and video games — all arenas where Straczynski has thrived. Patricia Tallman, who appeared on Straczynski’s Babylon 5, will join him in his production efforts.

Straczynski has won multiple awards as writer and producer of hit television series including Babylon 5 and Jeremiah. His contributions to the comic book world include Amazing Spider-Man (with sales during his tenure averaging one million copies per year) and Superman: Earth One (which spent 37 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List for Graphic Novels). His film credits include THOR, CHANGELING (for which he received a British Academy Award nomination), NINJA ASSASSIN and UNDERWORLD AWAKENING. Formerly a journalist for The Los Angeles Times and various major magazines, Straczynski has been writing and selling his work since the age of seventeen.

Currently, Studio JMS has several projects already in development. It is currently set to produce a Web series for MTV.com called The Adventures of Apocolypse Al. The company is also financing another Web series called Living Dead the Musical. Two TV series also underway are Epidemic, which is for Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, and Vlad Dracula for Starz and Sam Raimi’s company. Finally, a feature film called The Flickering Light is also being developed with Straczynski making his directorial debut.

Joe’s Comics is also being resurrected under Studio JMS with a partnership with Image Comics. Joe’s Comics previously published the best-selling graphic novels Midnight Nation and Rising Stars. Look for comic book titles Falling Angel,Ten Grand, Guardians and Sidekick which will appear in spring 2013 under the revived label.

“For twenty years, I’ve had the remarkable good fortune to work successfully as a writer and producer in a wide variety of fields, from television to comics and movies. I’ve always dreamed of creating a mini-studio where I can put all of that work under one roof, telling stories that I want to tell and which can be spun up between various platforms: comics that can become TV shows, TV shows that can become movies, and movies that can become comics. With the tremendous recent success of films such as THE AVENGERS, THOR, and the BATMAN series of films, this feels like the best time to tackle that dream. Best of all, unlike many other startup ventures, I’m not looking to get into these areas, I’m already working in them; now it’s just a matter of taking the next logical step: consolidation.”

René Garcia founded WorkingAuthor.com. He is a professional writer living and working in Southern California. He covers most aspects of the entertainment industry, including film, television, celebrity interviews and more. He is also a screenwriter looking for representation.

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